


The Hidden Assistant

by notyoursherlock



Series: HYDRA Tony Stark [2]
Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: Angst, Assistant Tony Stark, Fluff, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra Tony Stark, M/M, Oneshot, Tony Snaps, Whump, Winter Soldier Tony Stark, winter soldier - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 01:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18000905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyoursherlock/pseuds/notyoursherlock
Summary: Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark disappeared at age two, re-appearing at age twenty-one. Nobody knows where he went and what happened, not even his own team.Something changes that.





	The Hidden Assistant

**Author's Note:**

> A little rocky, I apologize.

Bucky was… confused, to say the least. Steve had shown up at his apartment, he ran, got caught, there was a gap in his memory but that wasn’t a new thing, and suddenly he was being pardoned. He was no longer a criminal. They acknowledged the fact that he was forced to follow _their_ commands, and had no control over anything that happened.

 

So here he was now, walking into the Avengers Compound with Steve, meeting new people and being shown around. Now, he was waiting in a conference room to meet the person that would be housing him.

 

As he waited anxiously, fingers tapping against his thigh, Steve watched with curiosity. Tony Stark came strutting through the door a few minutes later, mask in place. Turning towards him, Bucky mentally staggered.

 

He knew that face.

 

He _knew,_ that face.

 

As he openly stared at the man, Steve turned towards him. “Bucky, this is Tony Stark. Tony, this is Bucky.”

 

Bucky blinked.

 

“I know you.”

 

Tony’s mask shifted, a gleam of… something… in his eyes before quickly fixing it. “I’d be surprised if you didn’t. My face is everywhere. I am THE Tony Stark, after all.”

 

Steve looked warily between the two. “So you know about…?” He asked, trailing off, not wanting to voice the rest of the delicate question.

 

Understanding what he meant, Tony nodded. “I do, and I also understand the circumstances it happened under.”

 

Bucky blinked again.

 

“I know you.”

 

Looking slightly perturbed Tony said, “Yes, you said that.” As Bucky dove into his missing memories, one came up that he was genuinely surprised he forgot. Right before Bucky opened his mouth to voice his thoughts, Tony subtly motioned his hand in their sign for ‘don’t say anything.’ He immediately closed his mouth and nodded minutely.

 

Turning towards Steve, Tony clapped his hands loudly. “Now! If I was correct, you, Capsicle, have a mission to do in what, an hour? So shoo!” And upon realizing the time, the blond rushed out of the room.

 

Once Steve closed the door and he was sure the man was out of earshot, Bucky voiced his earlier thoughts.

 

“Assistant.” Tony turned towards him, eyes betraying no emotion just like they were trained to do and replied,

 

“Asset.”

 

“I don’t go by that anymore.”

 

“Neither do I.”

 

——————————————————————————————————————————

 

Over the next few weeks, the only time he ever saw Assistant- sorry, Tony- was fleeting, such as passing him in the hall. Although, it’s not like Bucky explored a lot, HYDRA and all that jazz.

 

So that’s why he was surprised when the ceiling lady told him that Tony needed him in the lab.

 

Arriving at the frosted glass doors of the lab, he hesitated before gently knocking. He heard a soft, “Come in,” before the doors slid open and he stepped inside. Eyes wide, he looked in each and ever direction, trying to take in all the impressive technology. There were holograms floating in the air, displaying different information, unfinished projects on tables, and he could see multiple suits in the far side of the room.

 

“So,” a voice brought out of his observing, “what do you think?” Tony said, sat on a stool, spreading his arms. Compared to when he saw him last, he was in a white tank top and grey sweats, covered in grease.

 

“It’s… amazing!” Bucky said, gesturing with his flesh arm. “Do we still not have flying cars?”

 

Tony chuffed a laugh. “No, we don’t. Dear old dad was too busy trying to find our resident fossil to do anything such as flying cars.”

 

Bucky only felt slight disappointment. “So, why did you call me down here?”

 

Leaning forward, Tony put his elbows on his knees and started, “Well first off,” he looked at Bucky with eyes shining with so much emotion he couldn’t comprehend it, “it’s good to see you, Yasha.”

 

Hearing that nickname brought back memories of stolen moments, ones of safety and love. “I’ve missed that name, Antoshka.”

 

Smiling, Tony stood and stepped to the side, revealing a hologram of Bucky’s metal arm. “So, if it’s alright with you, I’ve been working on a new arm for you. It’s causing you pain, if I remember correctly, can’t be too sure because of HYDRA, so I scanned it, and I was correct. When they connected your nerves, several of the metal plated are pinching them, and the metal connecting your arm has continuously grated against your skin, causing an impressive amount of scar tissue.” He said, motioning to various spots of the hologram.

 

“You… want to make me a new arm?” Bucky asked, throat thick with emotion.

 

“If it’s alright with you.” Tony stated nervously, fiddling with his hands, “You don’t have to take it if you don’t want to, I just don’t like seeing you in pain and-“ Bucky cut him off by putting either hand on his cheeks.

 

“You’re rambling again, Antoshka. And yes, I would love a new arm, but only if you make it. I trust you.” He stated, looking Tony directly in the eyes to get the message across. Leaning forward, he placed their foreheads together like they used to do after a particularly hard mission. “I’ve always trusted you.”

 

A moment passed before Tony broke the silence, laughing softly. “Well, I think that’s enough heart to heart for about ever.” Bucky huffed, pulling back pressing a kiss to Tony’s forehead reflexively before pulling fully away.

 

“Now, how about we get started on that arm?”

 

——————————————————————————————————————————

 

After that day, Bucky would spend most of his time in Tony’s lab, watching as the man darted around, building a new arm. Whenever one passed the other, a hand would brush their back, or hip bump the other’s hip. They would sit closer to the other than necessary, shoulders usually touching. They would exchange glances that spoke words, and generally be with the other whenever they could.

 

Bucky was currently in the shared kitchen, sitting hunched over a StarkPad sifting through the news and sipping coffee, while Steve was at the stove making omelets. As Bucky took a sip of his cooling coffee, Tony stumbled in, blearily searching for something.

 

Clicking his tongue, he got the attention of the sleep deprived genius and held out a freshly brewed cup of coffee, which was immediately grabbed and chugged. Finishing the first cup, Tony poured another and stumbled off to what was most likely his lab.

 

Bucky turned his attention back to his StarkPad, when in the corner of his eyes, he saw Steve looking at him with a bewildered expression. Turning towards him, he raised an eyebrow and asked,

 

“What?”

 

Steve stumbled over his words for a moment and finally got out what he was trying to say. “He lets you hand him things.”

 

Pulling a confused face Bucky said in a questioning tone, “Yeah…? He always has? What’s so weird about that?”

 

“The only people that can hand him things are Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy.”

 

Bucky hummed. Breathing in, he smelled something burning and looked behind Steve at the source. “Steve, your food’s burning.” Yelping, said blonde quickly turned around to try and save the omelets, but by the time he turned back around, Bucky was nowhere to be found.

 

He was in the elevator on the way to the lab. Exiting, he walked through the door to the lab to see Tony hunched over his new arm. Walking over, Bucky placed his chin on Tony’s shoulder, causing the latter to laugh.

 

“Hey, Yasha.”

 

“I have a question.” Tony hummed. “Why don’t you let anyone hand you things?” Tony stiffened slightly, setting down his tools and straightened, Bucky letting out a whine of protest.

 

“Well,” Tony started, sitting on a nearby stool, “when I was still the Assistant, HYDRA would hand me my assignment, I would carry it out, and it would be used to kill hundreds of people, many of them innocent. It reminds me of HYDRA, I suppose.”

 

Not surprised, Bucky hummed to himself. “So what d’you do if someone tries to hand you something?”

 

“You take it first and then give it to me.”

 

Bobbing his head, Bucky thought for a moment, reflecting. “I do, do that, don’t I?”

 

Tony smiled softly. “You do. It’s very sweet.” He said, looking down. Bucky walked forward and tried to place a kiss on the top of his head, but instead of hair, his lips met other lips. He pulled back in shock and Tony immediately apologized.

 

“I-i’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were there I-“ and was cut off by a pair of lips on his own. He immediately returned it, eyes closing. Bucky pulled back, slightly out of breath and said,

 

“I also remember doing that.”

 

They turned back to the arm, small smiles on both of their faces. If they occasionally kissed, well, that was no-ones business.

 

——————————————————————————————————————————

 

Two weeks went by before there was an incident.

 

The team, Bucky included, were all sitting in the common room when Tony subtly stiffened at a word Natasha said in Russian. They were chatting amongst each other about random subjects, when Sam asked what a word in Russian was, and Natasha replied,

 

“тоскующий.” (Yearning.)

 

Upon hearing it and seeing Tony stiffen, Bucky immediately stood, grabbed the genius, and walked out, ignoring the other’s questions and curious eyes. Stepping into the elevator, he began mumbling in Russian to the younger man.

 

“Не волнуйся, нас там больше нет.” (Don’t worry, we aren’t there anymore.) As he continued mumbling comforts, he led Tony into the lab and sat him down on a random stool, a’so sitting.

 

“С кем я разговариваю?” (Who am I talking to?)

 

Looking up at Bucky, Tony replied in a thick Russian/Brooklyn accent, false American one falling, “Актив?” (Asset?)

 

Cursing under his breath, Bucky realized he was talking to Assistant. In the back of his mind, Winter came forward for the first time in a while, gently nudging at Bucky, wanting to talk to his friend. Hesitating, his mind immediately went to death and destruction, which Winter replied with feelings of guilt. He was practically a child, and was only doing what he was told. Bucky thought for a moment, and let Winter take over, feeling that he would be best for Assistant at the moment.

 

Blinking as he took over, Winter looked at his distressed friend that he had not seen in a long, long time.

 

“Ассистент? Что не так, ты в порядке? Кто тебя обидел?” (Assistant? What’s wrong, are you alright? Who hurt you?”)

 

Looking up at him, Assistant had wide eyes. “Зима,” (Winter) he breathed out, putting his head against the other man’s chest. “Я скучал по тебе.” (I’ve missed you.)

 

Smiling, Winter put his nose in the other man’s hair, breathing in his scent. “Я тоже скучал по тебе.” (I’ve missed you too.) He put his cheek on the top of his head. “Но действительно, кто тебя обидел?” (But really, who hurt you?) He asked again, wanting to know who cause his Assistant distress.

 

“Вы не можете причинить им боль. Они не хотели.” (You can’t hurt them. They didn’t mean to.) He mumbled against Winter’s chest.

 

Pulling Assistants head back he said in a stern voice, “Это не то, что я спросил.” (That’s not what I asked.)

 

Sighing, he mumbled, “Наталья сказала одно из моих триггерных слов.” (Natalia said one of my trigger words.) Winter frowned. Natalia would never intentionally harm or distress Assistant in any way, unless it was absolutely necessary.

 

“Зачем ей это делать?” (Why would she do that?)

 

“Не знает.” (Doesn’t know.)

 

Winter hummed. “Что вы помощник, или ваши слова запуска?” (That you’re Assistant, or your trigger words?)

 

“Оба.” (Both.)

 

Sighing, Winter enveloped Assistant in a hug, placing his chin on his head. “Ты должен сказать ей.” (You should tell her.)

 

Assistant shook his head. “Я еще не готов.” (I’m not ready yet.)

 

Winter nodded. “Хорошо. Будем ждать.” (Okay. We’ll wait.)

 

——————————————————————————————————————————

 

More time went by, and both Winter and Assistant began making more appearances, the rest of the team still in the dark.

 

Currently, Natasha was sitting in the Avengers living room, Clint to her left, Bruce curled up on a loveseat next to Scott to her right, Steve, Sam, and Rhodey on the couch to her left, Wanda in Vision’s lap directly across her in a chair. Thor was currently off-world doing whatever he does, and Spider-Man, who they still didn’t know his identity, was somewhere in New York.

 

They were watching a movie, occasionally chatting, when they heard two pairs of footsteps from the hallway.

 

“Ты никогда не побьешь меня!!” (You’ll never beat me!) A thick Russian/Brooklyn accent yelled, them recognizing it as Tony.

 

“Это то, что ты думаешь!” (That’s what you think!) Bucky’s voice responded, a thick Brooklyn accent with a slight Russian tilt to it.

 

The team paused the movie, and looked towards the doorway as Tony ran in, closely followed by Bucky.

 

“Вернуться сюда!” (Come back here!) Bucky shouted at Tony, as the latter ran into the kitchen, around the island.

 

“Вы должны поймать меня первым!” (You’ll have to catch me first!)

 

Bucky darted around the island, attempting to grab Tony, when the younger man grabbed a knife out of nowhere and _stabbed his metal arm._

 

Surprised, Bucky ripped the knife out, and as he was distracted, Tony opened the freezer and snatched a tub of ice cream.

 

“Haha!” He crowed, holding his prize close. The knife whizzed past his face embedding itself in the wall, and he yelped, darting back down the hall, one Bucky Barnes following.

 

They listened as they heard a thump, a shriek, and more footsteps before the sounds faded away.

 

A minute passed as they sat in shocked silence, having no idea what just happened.

 

“What just happened?” Sam asked, still staring at the doorway the two disappeared into.

 

“I have no idea, man.” Clint said, trying to process the information.

 

“What just happened,” Natasha said dryly, “is Stark and Barnes aren’t telling us something.”

 

The rest of the team looked at her and Steve asked, “You really think so?” She simply raised a brow and he nodded. “You’re right. But what does he have to hide?”

 

“What, do you think he’s ex-HYDRA?” Scott said jokingly. When no-one responded, his eyebrows shot up and he continued, “Wait, really? That’s a possibility?”

 

Bruce nodded slowly. “Well… he _did,_ disappear when he was two… and he came back when he was twenty-one…”

 

Steve looked at the doctor. “You really think he’s ex-HYDRA?”

 

“It’s a possibility.”

 

“So,” Sam started, “Rhodey? Do you know anything?”

 

Said person thought for a moment before slowly shaking his head. “No, but he used to disappear for a few days at a time, and no, he wasn’t in his lab. Now that I think about it, it is kind of suspicious.”

 

“So what now?” Scott asked, speaking to the team as a whole.

 

“Now,” Steve started, “we observe Tony. I suggest we subtly see what he can do.”

 

“How about a mandatory team training?” Clint said, throwing the idea out there.

 

The others nodded, liking the idea.

 

“Well, let’s get to it.”

 

——————————————————————————————————————————

 

Over the course of two weeks, they would randomly drop or knock over objects near or close to Tony, and he never failed to catch the object. Once, Natasha even chucked a knife at his head, and he simply ducked and continued walking. (Bucky wasn’t very happy about that when he found out, but Tony refused to let him kill her slowly.)

 

Finally, the day had come. Mandatory team training.

 

Tony was complaining the whole way down to the training room, saying he had things to invent that just could not wait. Bucky looked indifferent, but internally, he was suspicious, as this was the first ever mandatory training according to Tony, but kept quiet.

 

They arrived at the gym, and Steve dragged Bucky over to spar, much to the assassin’s annoyance. Rhodey and Sam were at the punching bags, Clint was shooting targets with his bow, while Scott and Vision were throwing objects at Wanda for her to dodge and or throw back. Bruce was on the sidelines, as they didn’t want to risk the other guy making an appearance. Thor was off-world still, and Spider-Man was… somewhere. Tony was about to leave, when Natasha approached him.

 

“Spar with me.”

 

Her blunt question surprised Tony and he blinked thinking he heard her wrong.

 

“What?”

 

“You heard me,” she said, annoyed, “spar with me.”

 

Hesitantly, even though he knew it was a bad idea, nodded. “You’re just doing this to have an excuse to hurt me, aren’t you?” He asked as they walked over to a sparring mat.

 

“No, I’m just seeing what you can do.” She replied as she turned towards him and got into a ready position.

 

Huffing, Tony copied her, purposefully putting too much weight on his back foot, and leaving his left side exposed.

 

Watching each other, Tony decided to strike first. Lunging forward, he threw a wide punch at her head, which she easily deflected, returning a jab of her own. He feigned a kick to the left, and threw another punch to the right, which was easily dodged and he let Natasha’s incoming kick come in contact with his side.

 

“You aren’t even trying!” She snapped as she deflected another blow. “Come on, hit me!”

 

Tony grunted in annoyance, throwing another half-hearted punch that was yet again deflected, and was jabbed in the side.

 

“Move your arm up!” Jab. “Your whole left side is open!” Kick. As the onslaught of remarks and blows continued, the others stopped what they were doing as watched worriedly.

 

“Natasha, that’s enough,” Steve called in an attempt to get her to stop, but was ignored.

 

“I know you can hit me,” block, “so hit me!” And as her fist flew forward to hit Tony in the face, something inside him snapped.

 

He grabbed her hand before it came in contact with skin, twisted her wrist, breaking it, sweeping a leg under her all at once. As she fell, Tony jabbed her nerves and put one hand on the top and bottom of her head, ready to break it.

 

Right before he jerked his hands to snap her neck, a force barreled into his side, knocking him off. Reacting instinctually, he threw a punch at the person, hitting their stomach and the two began exchanging blows. Kicking the person off of him, he shot up and lunged, only to be deflected. As the two were engaged in a deadly dance, he vaguely recognized long brown hair and a metal arm, but pushed it away, focusing on his target.

 

As he jabbed at their throat, a voice began to break through his haze.

 

“Ассистент! Вам нужно остановиться сейчас же!” (Assistant! You need to stop now!) faltering slightly, he threw a slightly sloppy punch. “Освободись от этого Антошка! Вернись ко мне!” (Fight it Antoshka! Come back to me!)

 

As his vision cleared, he recognized Yasha in front of him, and staggered, falling to the ground exhausted.

 

“Прости, прости, прости,” (I’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry,) he said almost like a chant. “Я не хотел! Пожалуйста, не сдавай меня на перекалибровку, я не хочу забывать, не заставляй меня забывать!” (I didn't mean to! Please don't turn me in for recalibration, I don't want to forget, don't make me forget!)

 

Bucky dropped in front of the distressed Tony and pulled him close, petting his hair. “Shh, все в порядке, все в порядке. Это была не твоя вина, она толкнула тебя, а ты отреагировал. Мы не с HYDRA, хорошо? Я никогда не заставлю тебя забыть.” (Shh, it's alright, it's okay. It wasn't your fault, she pushed you and you reacted. We aren't with HYDRA, alright? I'll never make you forget.) He whispered into the man’s ear, desperately trying to calm him down.

 

As he whispered reassurances, the others watched, struck silent. A few minutes passed before Tony spoke up again.

 

“Зима?” (Winter?) he asked, and Bucky hummed, immediately letting Winter take over.

 

“Да?” (Yes?)

 

“Мне жаль.” (I’m sorry.)

 

Winter clucked his tongue and replied, “Не твоя вина Это была Наталья.” (Wasn’t your fault. It was Natalia.)

 

Assistant hummed, pulling back and looking around. He caught sight of Natasha’s wrist and gasped. “Это я сделал? Я так виноват! Разрешение на помощь?” (Did I do that? I’m so sorry! Permission to help?”

 

Confused, Natasha could only nod and watch as Assistant stood and skittered over, kneeling. Gently grabbing her wrist, he turned it around and gently prodded it, causing her to hiss. “Закрытый перелом. Необходимо сделать ставку и поставить скобку.” (Closed fracture. Needs to be set and a brace put on.” He inspected her wrist a bit more and tugged her to her feet. “Давай, Вдова. Мы должны установить это, чтобы вы могли продолжить свои миссии.” (Come, Widow. We must set it so you can continue your missions.) He brought her over to the first aid they kept in the gym, and warned her before setting it and swiftly placing her wrist in a brace.

 

Satisfied with his work, he walked back over to Winter and said, “Поехали. У нас есть мороженое и вещи для постройки.” (Let's go. We have ice cream to be eaten, and things to be built.) And with that, the two exited the gym, leaving shocked and confused teammates in their wake.

 

“What the fuck?”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my work!
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcome.


End file.
